Aluminium Pechiney

Societe Des Electrodes Et Refractaires Savoie/sers

Laurent Michard

Bernard Langon

Spyridon Casdas

Gabriel Audras

The invention concerns a process and an apparatus for applying prestresses to carbonaceous cathodic blocks in the operation of sealing the cathodic bar in position with cast iron. The block (1) in the course of the sealing operation is lifted on two rollers (16A, 16B) in the vicinity of its ends (E) and stresses F1 and F3 are simultaneously applied respectively to the ends (10) of the lateral edges of the limb portions (3) of the block and to the central part (C) of the block. Such stresses must be applied during the sealing operation and maintained for 15 to 30 minutes after the end of the cast iron casting operation. That virtually totally suppresses the occurrence of cracks in the cathodic blocks.

Process and apparatus for sealing cathodic bars in a prestressed

The invention concerns a tank for the production of aluminum using the Hall-Heroult process by the electrolysis of alumina in a molten cryolite-base bath in an assembly formed by the grouping in series of a plurality of aligned tanks, each tank being formed by a rectangular metal casing whose major axis is perpendicular to the axis of the series and whose interior comprises a heat-insulating lining, a cathode formed by the juxtaposition in sealed relationship of carbonaceous blocks in which metal cathodic bars are sealed, the two ends of the cathodic bars, which issue from the carbonaceous blocks, forming the cathodic outputs which extend to the outside of the casing on the upstream and downstream sides thereof, in relation to the direction of flow of the current in the series, and to which there are connected the conductors for making an electrical connection with the following tank in the series; wherein in accordance with the invention, and in order to make the ohmic resistance of the two groups of upstream and downstream circuits, 11 and 13, substantially equal, in spite of their differences in length, the ohmic resistance of the ends of the downstream cathodic bars, 15, is higher than the ohmic resistance of the ends of the upstream cathodic bars 14. Equality of ohmic resistance as between the upstream and downstream circuits is achieved either by making the downstream cathodic outputs 15 of a material having a higher degree of resistivity than that of the material forming the upstream cathodic outputs 14, or by increasing the length and/or reducing the section of the downstream outputs 15.

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Bourg-La-Reine, France

Laurent Michard